A Matter Of Honour
by seffydude
Summary: The Doctor must embark on a new mission to save someone most dear to him. Friends old and new join him as they face a new enemy, an ancient race so powerful that even the fearsome Daleks wouldn't face them. Rated T for mild violence, language and monsters
1. Chapter 1

A Matter Of Honour.

Disclaimer.

Doctor Who, it's associated characters, locations etc. belong to the BBC. I have no connection to the BBC or the production of Doctor Who what-so-ever. I have not nor do I expect to receive any payment for this story. I'm just an imaginative fan of an incredible show.

Part 1.

"Doctor?"

"Rose?" Said The Doctor as he opened eyes that refused to blink for a time. The word had been said instinctively, it was her voice that had called his name. But Rose wasn't there anymore. She was lost to him, alive but on the other side of the Void. After the battle at Canary Wharf, Rose had been taken to an Alternate Dimension by that dimension's version of her Father. Officially listed as 'Dead' in this dimension, she may as well be dead as there was no way for him to ever see her again as to do so would open the Void and cause two dimensions to merge into one, releasing the trapped Daleks and Cybermen that were being held in the void. The risks were bad enough, but the consequences were unthinkable.

He leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling of the TARDIS high above him, a puzzled look causing his mouth to open as his eyes focused on nothing. Had he just been dreaming? He hadn't been asleep, surely? And yet, either he 'had' been dreaming or he really had heard Rose's voice.

"Good morning." Said a voice he knew to be all too real.

"Morning." He replied with a smile as he turned and saw Martha enter the control room. "Sleep well?" He asked in the strong southern accent that this regeneration seemed to carry with it.

"Yes thanks." Replied Martha as she strolled over, pulling her long raven hair into a bunch as she walked. She was wearing her favourite jeans and a red leather jacket with a black top underneath and her black boots made a clopping sound on the metal floor. She looked at The Doctor who was reclining in a chair with his feet up on the console and wearing his brown pinstripe suit and white baseball sneakers, as usual. "Don't you ever wear anything else?"

"Why, what's wrong with these?" Replied The Doctor with a frown as he looked down at his clothes.

"I'd imagine they'd start to get a bit pongy after a while." Said Martha, wrinkling her nose.

"Who says they're the same clothes?" Asked The Doctor.

"You mean you have a wardrobe full of the same clothes?" Replied Martha in a disbelieving tone of voice.

"Why not, Einstein did and look how clever he was."

"Wait, you've met Einstein?"

"Yeah. Well, I say 'met'. He was having a bit of trouble with his Theory of Relativity so I kind of gave him a nudge in the right direction. Changed a few of his sums on his blackboard, that sort of thing."

"And he never noticed that his maths had been changed?" Asked a sceptical Martha.

"Never mentioned it if he did." Replied The Doctor with a cheeky grin. "Must've been concentrating on something else at the time, ay?"

Martha laughed. "Half the time I'd swear you were making these things up just to impress me."

"Is it working?" Said The Doctor, his face splitting into a grin.

"Not with me." Said Martha as she looked down at the console in front of her. "Louis Pasteur, now that would be impressive."

The Doctor lifted his feet, swung them over and then stood up, all in one fluid motion. "You could meet him yourself if you like." He said as he looked down at the console in front of him and turned a small dial. He smiled as he heard Martha say "Really?" in an almost awed voice. "Why not?" He asked.

"Doctor?" Said Rose.

The Doctor looked up, all trace of humour gone from his face. He looked at Rose, standing on the opposite side of the console from him. She was just as he remembered her. Her long blonde hair framing her face and cascading down over her shoulders, her almond shaped eyes with their arched eyebrows gazing intently at him.

"Doctor? What is it?" Asked Martha, a little unnerved by the way The Doctor was staring at her.

The Doctor's stern gaze softened a little as he looked at Martha. "Do you believe in ghosts?" He asked.

"No." Replied Martha.

"No," said The Doctor thoughtfully, "neither do I."

A look of concern crossed Martha's face. "Doctor, what is it, what's happened?"

The Doctor looked at Martha with a wide eyed expression. "I'm not sure exactly. Either I've just witnessed a trans-dimensional cross phase incursion or been subject to a psycho-kinetic transference of bio-electric impulses with auditory and illusory properties."

Martha thought for a moment. "You saw a Ghost!" It was more a statement than a question.

The Doctor puffed his cheeks out. "Yes."

"And you couldn't just say 'I saw a Ghost'?" Said Martha with a frown.

"Well, technically, 'I saw a Ghost' isn't accurate. For a start, she isn't…!" The Doctor suddenly stopped talking and stared at Martha, his expression slowly turning to one of horror and pain. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no."

Martha had seen many expressions on the Doctor's face during the short time she had known him. But the look on his face now, filled with such anguish and unbearable sadness, almost made her heart break. "Who was it? Who did you see?" When The Doctor didn't reply, her suspicions were affirmed. "It was Rose, wasn't it?"

The Doctor simply nodded.

"Maybe we should go to her, make sure? It might be…!"

"We can't!" Said The Doctor in a flat tone, not allowing her to finish her sentence.

"Why not? This is a time machine."

"I've told you, I can't interfere with the normal passage of time. Not without good reason. 'No matter'..," he said before Martha could speak her objection, "… no matter how much I personally may want to. Besides, the rift is closed. There's no way to get to her dimension. Not anymore."

"But what if she isn't dead? What if she needs your, our, help?"

"We can't!" Replied The Doctor with emphasis.

"How do you know? What makes you so sure?"

"I'm a Time Lord, I know."

"And you can't be wrong?" Asked Martha. "There can't be some little thing, somewhere in the whole Universe, that would allow it that you might not know about?"

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, never blinking. "Nope." He said suddenly. "No, I…!" He left the sentence unfinished.

".. Don't think so?" Said Martha, finishing the sentence for him.

"I'm a Time Lord, I'd know." A frown crossed The Doctor's brow and he chewed on a finger nail.

"Doctor, forgive me for saying so, but you're the last of your kind, the last Time Lord. Just because the Time Lords have gone doesn't mean that the Universe has to stand still. I'm sorry for being so blunt about it, but surely there are others who could have continued where the Time Lords left off. And, if so, then maybe there is a way and you just don't know about it."

The Doctor thought for a moment, his face a mask of contemplation, his eyes staring at nothing. Yet Martha had the feeling that he was seeing across the Universe, his mind spanning entire Galaxies as he tried to remember all the people he had met, all the different races throughout time and space that he had ever come into contact with. Martha almost started when The Doctor suddenly dived forward and started throwing switches and turning dials on the TARDIS' console. She had seen him like this before and always marvelled at the energy that radiated from him when he was like this. But this time was different. The energy coming from him wasn't born of his joy at travelling the Universe through time and space. This time the energy came from a sense of urgency that she had never seen from him. Rose was in trouble and he was going to save her. Martha felt a pang of jealousy and couldn't help but wonder if The Doctor would have the same sense of urgency if it were she that was in trouble and not Rose.

She stepped back as The Doctor rushed around to her side of the console. He suddenly spun around and put his hands on both sides of her face and stared intently into her eyes. "Thank you, Martha Jones. Feel free to give me a kick in the pants 'every' time I give up without a fight." With that, he spun around back to the console.

"Ok." Said a stunned Martha. "Erm, where are we going?"

"To see an old friend, one I won't meet for, oooh, five million years or so."

The journey in the TARDIS didn't take very long. Once the TARDIS' engines had wound down, The Doctor, dressed in a full environment suit that he 'happened' to have neglected to hand back when he had used it to talk with the empty shell of The Beast before his prison planet was sent hurtling into a Black Hole, stepped out of the TARDIS and looked around. He stepped aside as Martha, wearing a similar environment suit to his, stepped out behind him.

"Where are we?" Asked Martha as she peered into the thick mist that shrouded their surroundings.

"We're on a planet that no Human Being has ever set foot on before, nor will again." Said The Doctor solemnly. "This is the oldest inhabited planet in the entire universe. Some even say that life originated on this very planet, that it spread across the universe from this single point in space."

"It's a bit murky isn't it?"

The Doctor turned and looked at Martha, no mean feat in an environment suit as he discovered, his face a mask of incredulity. "That's brilliant! I tell you something that is so mind-blowing, something so amazing that it defies comprehension, and you comment on the weather. Sheer brilliance."

Martha watched The Doctor shaking his head inside his helmet, a bemused look on her face. "Ok." She said, elongating the 'k'. "So what are we doing here? And who's this friend of yours that you haven't met yet?"

"Well, if I know him like I probably will do, he should be along anytime now." With that, the Doctor turned and began walking slowly into the mist, stopping every now and again to look at some plant or rock that had materialised out of the mist.

A deep voice that seemed to talk very slowly suddenly spoke, its words seeming to surround the pair of travellers as though being spoken from all sides at the same time. "Doctor, I bid you welcome to my home."

Startled, Martha began turning this way and that, searching for the owner of the voice in the thick greenish grey mist. Then she noticed a shadow on the ground that seemed to move. She looked up and saw a large globe with small tentacle-like protuberances around one side silently gliding through the mist and slowly descending towards them. Then she saw a huge face on the globe which now looked for all the world like a disembodied head.

When The Doctor spoke, his voice sounded almost jubilant. "Hello!" He said, his face showing genuine happiness at seeing the strange creature.

The Face Of Bo floated gently down and stopped just above the ground, his small tentacles wafting gently to and fro. "It has been too long, Doctor." He said in a deep and almost hypnotic voice. "And Martha Jones, it is an honour to meet you once again Miss Jones."

"The honour is mine, I assure you." Replied Martha hesitantly, not quite knowing what to say.

The Face Of Bo closed his eyes and seemed to tip forwards and Martha felt that he had just bowed to her. "I bid you both welcome to my home. How may I be of service?"

Now it was The Doctor's turn to speak hesitantly and he stepped forward in front of The Face Of Bo. "I'm sorry, for calling unannounced. Erm, I have a problem and I need your help."

"She is out of my sight." Said The Face Of Bo. "The one you seek to aid is beyond The Void and is lost to you."

"Yes, I know." Replied The Doctor. "On Gallifrey, we had many ways of crossing The Void, but all were lost in The Time War and, now, I know of no way of crossing The Void after I closed the rift in London. At least, I know of no way that won't annihilate everything in two dimensions. The thing is, I really need to get across The Void."

"We… need to get across this Void.. thing." Said Martha, emphasising the word 'We'.

"We..," said The Doctor, casting a furtive glance at Martha as he spoke, "were wondering if you knew of anything that might help us get across. Something that may have been built after The Time War perhaps?"

"You, Doctor, should know the danger inherent in what you are proposing."

"Yes, I do." Replied The Doctor as he gazed at The Face Of Bo.

"Is your quest worth what you are risking?"

"Yes, and more besides."

"Will you risk everything you hold most dear to achieve your goal?" Asked The Face Of Bo, his voice taking on an ominous tone.

The Doctor frowned and then looked at Martha. He didn't speak for a moment and, when he did, his voice had softened perceptively. "Not everything, no."

"That is what I wished to hear, Doctor." Said The Face Of Bo. "Your sense of honour will sustain you in times to come. Hold it and hold it dear, Doctor."

"Then there is something?"

"You must seek the enemy who is your friend, the one who leads those created to ensnare you. In their Lair will you find what you seek. Now, your time here grows short and you must make haste to your TARDIS. We will meet again Doctor. Miss Jones, you have a difficult decision to make in times to come. Rest assured, you will know what to choose. We too, shall meet again. Until that happy day."

With that, the Face Of Bo gently floated up and faded into the mist above their heads. The Doctor checked the gauge on his environment suit and saw that his oxygen supply was getting low. He chuckled to himself. "Make haste indeed." He said as he looked up into the mist.

"What did he mean by 'I'll know what to choose'?" Asked Martha.

"I don't know. Probably that you'll know what to choose when the time comes." Replied The Doctor.

"But how will I know?" Asked Martha, stumbling to keep up with the Doctor as they headed back to the TARDIS.

"Well I don't know, do I. You should have asked him."

Martha almost stopped in surprise. "I could've done that? Just asked him?"

"Of course."

"Wish I'd known that before." Said Martha. "Where are we going now?"

"To the last place in the Universe I would have thought to look for a device for crossing The Void and to see a friendly enemy of mine."

End Of Part One.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2.

Ianto Jones sat behind the counter and read a magazine he'd pulled off the rack at the side of the small shop. On the outside, the shop was nothing more than a small tourist shop selling maps of Cardiff and souvenirs with the words 'Cymru Am Byth' written in bold red letters over the image of the famous Welsh Dragon. Behind, and under, the shop, things couldn't have been more different.

Ianto looked up as the small bell over the door jingled. He saw two people enter and his eyes fell on the, rather attractive, coloured woman who entered first. At first, he was painfully reminded of Lisa, his lover who had been captured and half transformed into a Cyberman at the battle of Canary Wharf. He had to tear his eyes away from her as the man spoke to him.

"Hello," said The Doctor, "we'd like to see The Captain please."

"Er, I'm sorry." Replied Ianto smoothly with a smile. "The charter boat is just down the quay."

The Doctor returned the smartly dressed Welshman's smile with a toothy grin. "Ah, wrong Captain. If you could just tell Captain Jack that an old friend is here to see him, thanks."

Ianto hesitated for a few moments and eyed the man warily. Then he pressed a button underneath the counter and a section of the back wall opened revealing a stone corridor beyond. "Down the corridor, second on the left." He said in his musical-like Welsh accent.

"Thank you." Said The Doctor brightly before manoeuvring Martha into the corridor.

They followed the man's directions and, after descending few steps, found themselves in a wide cavern-like structure that was full of various types of technology, including computers, lab equipment and analytical hardware. Not to mention one rather large flying Reptile.

"Oh yes," said The Doctor in a loud voice, "very impressive. Very impressive indeed!" He said as he stepped down and into the Hub of Torchwood 3. He looked up at the sound of a shrill cry came from above. "And a Pterodactyl as well, very impressive!"

A man, sitting in front of an array of computer screens was the first to react. A handgun seemed to materialise from no-where and he levelled it at The Doctor. "Hold it, don't move!" He yelled.

From behind The Doctor and Martha came the sound of another weapon being cocked and they turned to find Ianto, with a gun pointing at them, standing behind them.

"What, no Soldiers this time?" Said The Doctor to no-one in particular.

"We've never needed them." Replied Ianto in a level voice.

The Doctor looked up as he saw an attractive young woman with dark hair rushing down the stairs. "Bloody hell!" She said in a strong Welsh accent.

Captain Jack Harkness appeared on a balcony. "Doctor?" He said, his voice betraying his surprise.

"Hello Jack." Said The Doctor looking up.

"Martha." Said Jack with a smile.

Martha returned his smile and wiggled her fingers at him.

"Uncle Tom Cobbly and all." Said the man near the computers, the first to pull a gun. "Can we get to arresting him now please?"

Jack looked down from the balcony. "Owen, stand down. You too Ianto."

Owen Harper couldn't decide whether to look up at Jack or keep his eyes on The Doctor. "What? Have you lost it?" He said as he gripped his handgun double handed.

The Welsh woman had reached the bottom of the stairs now and looked up at Jack. "Jack, you do know who this is? We should be arresting him."

"On what charge?" When Gwen Cooper just gave him a confused look, he nodded his head and looked back at Owen and Ianto. "You two, stand down."

Gwen turned and looked at The Doctor. "You're mentioned in the Torchwood Charter. You're the reason we're here."

Martha stepped forward and gazed at Gwen. "I think you'd better back off Lady, understand?"

Gwen turned her head slowly and looked at Martha. "Look who's talking." She said ominously.

Captain Jack slammed his hand down on the rail in front of him. "Enough!" He shouted. "Gwen, step back! Owen, Ianto, guns down and stand down. Tosh, coffees please. Now, do I have to make them orders?"

A small Asian woman looked up at Captain Jack from next to Owen. "That won't be necessary Jack, I'll be happy to get the coffees."

Jack shook his head slightly. "Not you Tosh, the others."

"What is this Boss, what's going on?" Asked Owen impatiently.

Jack, still up on the balcony, held his hands wide. "Beats me, you know as much as I do Owen."

"She's in trouble Jack, I need your help." Said the Doctor, his face a mask of seriousness.

Jack stared down at the Doctor. "Rose?"

The Doctor nodded his head slowly. "We can't do this on our own, we need your help."

"Come up." Replied Jack quickly. "Not now Owen!" He shouted as he turned away from the balcony rail. Below, Owen held his hands out and let them fall by his side in a gesture of irritation. He looked at Gwen who nodded her agreement at how he was feeling.

Ten minutes later, everyone was sitting in the Hub's Conference Room, a cup of steaming coffee in front of them. Across from The Doctor sat Owen, staring at The Doctor with unfriendly eyes. Beside Owen sat Gwen who was looking at both The Doctor and Martha, her face a carefully concealed mask. Ianto was standing off to one side, leaning casually against the wall but his posture said that he was ready to move at the first sign of any trouble. Tosh was sitting at one end of the long conference table, her laptop open before her and Jack was sitting at the other end, listening intently as The Doctor told them of what had happened.

"So, what?" Said Owen, not even trying to hide the hostility in his voice. "Are you saying you have some kind of psychic link to this Rose bird?"

The Doctor returned Owen's unfriendly stare. "No," he replied with a brief shake of his head, "I don't know how or why I was able to see her, or hear her. All I know is she's in trouble and we need to get to her." He turned to Jack. "And you have the means of letting us get there."

"The last time we opened the Rift with that machine, we almost destroyed the planet. We destabilised the Rift to such a degree that we can barely contain it anymore. If we opened it again, there's no telling what kind of damage we could do. I'm sorry, we can't take the risk."

"The last time you opened the Rift, you was missing one very important thing." Said The Doctor.

"And what was that?" Said Owen in a voice thick with contempt.

The Doctor looked at Owen and slowly leaned on the table, his hard eyed-gaze boring into Owen's eyes. "Me!" The Doctor suddenly stood up, prompting Ianto to quickly push himself off the wall, ready for anything. But The Doctor had moved to the window at the end of the room and was staring down at the Rift machine. He pointed at the Rift machine. "That machine is a hybrid design." He announced in a loud voice. "There's technology from at least three different races there." He walked back into the room, his stern gaze switching from Jack to Owen to Ianto. "When you opened the Rift, it almost destroyed this place, didn't it? Want to know why? Do you want to know why the Rift has destabilised the way it has? I'll tell you. Because you didn't take into account the three variables from the different technologies. Instead of prising the Rift apart, you ripped it open. You fractured it at its basic sub-atomic level and left it weakened. How? Because the three technologies in that machine were trying to treat each other as they would their own, and that doesn't work. It's like having a cup of coffee, putting in some Goat's milk and icing sugar. It'll still look like coffee, but there's no guarantee it will taste the same, or even taste nice. Because the variables are all wrong."

And you can account for these variables?" Asked Jack.

The Doctor tilted his head back and put his hands into his pockets while still looking at Jack. "Oh yes, I can account for them. I can make your machine work and work properly. It won't be easy, but I can do it."

Ianto, leaning back on the wall with his arms folded, said, "It's a moot point anyway."

"Why's that then?" Asked The Doctor.

"There's a piece missing, a control collar. We don't know where it is."

"He's right." Said Jack. "Once everything had gone back to normal after we'd fought off Abadon, we found the control collar missing from the machine. We looked over the security tapes and saw someone taking it while we were outside."

"Who?" Asked The Doctor. "Who took it?"

"Bilis Manger, old Abadon's right hand man." Said Owen smugly.

Martha sat back in her chair. "Well, we'll just have to get it back then. Won't we?" She said.

"And just how do you plan on doing that then? We don't even know where he went."

"We don't need to know," replied Martha, folding her arms, "we have a TARDIS."

This time it was Gwen who spoke, though her tone of voice was far from confrontational. "But time reset itself, no-one even knows that anything happened now."

Jack stapled his fingers together before him and leaned his chin on his hands. "Time reset itself out there, but not in here."

"The Rift machine flooded this entire area with Polarised radiation, the same stuff it uses to manipulate the Rift." Said The Doctor. "You were all exposed to it, that's why you can still remember what happened. The Nexus of the tear in the fabric of the Rift was here, in the Hub. That's why it was protected from the reset."

Tosh had an alarmed look on her face. "We were exposed to radiation?" She asked.

"Polarised radiation." Said Jack. "Don't worry, it's safe."

"What's a 'TARDIS'?" Asked Gwen.

"It's a ship, for travelling through time and space." Replied The Doctor. "It stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space."

"And if you brought this TARDIS in here, you could go back to when Manger took the control collar." Asked Gwen.

"Oh come on Gwen," said Owen, "not you as well?"

Gwen rounded on Owen. "Do you remember what that bastard did to Rhys? Do you?" She shouted. When Owen didn't answer her, choosing to look down at the table instead, Gwen continued. "It might not mean anything to the rest of you, but I want him. I want that bastard for what he did and if that means that I have to help The Doctor to do it, then so be it." She looked at Jack.

Jack looked from Gwen to The Doctor. "And you can guarantee you can open the Rift safely?" The Doctor didn't speak, instead he held Jack's gaze and raised an eyebrow, Jack continued. "Alright, we do it."

The Doctor turned and headed for the door with Martha right behind him. "Oh, there's just one thing." He said as he turned back to the table. He pointed at Owen. "He stays here." Without waiting for a response, The Doctor and Martha walked out.

"What was that all about?" Owen almost spat the words at Jack. "And you," he said, stabbing a finger at Gwen, "Traitor. So much for all your 'moral high-ground' bollocks."

As Gwen rounded on Owen, Jack sat back, letting the two of them argue for a time, deep in thought and happy to allow the bickering to wash over him. In no time at all, the voices of the two combatants began to reach fever pitch so he shouted, "Enough! None of you know The Doctor like I do. The Torchwood Charter is wrong, always has been. The Doctor is no threat to us. In fact, he's less of a threat than we are to ourselves. No, I'm sorry, but the Charter is an out-dated piece of history written by people too primitive to understand just what it was they had."

"Who do you think you are?" Said Owen, now thoroughly enraged.

Tosh, having looked up from her laptop when The Doctor and Martha had left, now spoke. "Jack, I'm sorry, but how can you make that decision over something that's at the very basis of what Torchwood is all about?"

"I'm the Boss." Replied Jack in a perfectly calm voice. "The buck stops here, with me. Don't you get it? With Torchwood 1 and 4 gone and Torchwood 2 being what it is, we are pretty much all that's left of Torchwood besides The Grunts. We 'are' Torchwood for the for-see-able future. Whatever Torchwood does from now on, it does because we're the ones doing it."

It was Ianto who spoke next. "And that gives us the right to go against the very core of the Torchwood Charter does it?"

"Queen Victoria saw him as an Alien threat. Come on, what kind of threat does he pose?"

Just then there was a strange noise and paper began to blow this way and that as the grinding sound of the TARDIS's engines suddenly came out of no-where. Behind Jack, a shadow began to coalesce and the TARDIS slowly materialised, right in the heart of The Hub.

Jack closed his eyes. "Ok, bad example. Scratch that."

End Of Part 2.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3.

After Gwen announced that she was going home to get some things, The Doctor, Martha and Jack spent the time reviewing the security tapes and devising a plan to catch Bilis Manger. They were all inside the TARDIS when the door opened and Gwen's head, looking more than a little bewildered, appeared in the doorway and abruptly disappeared again. When she appeared for a second time, the three people stood around the console said in unison, "Bigger on the inside!" without looking up.

"Bloody hell." Said Gwen in an awed voice. She stepped inside and looked around appreciatively. "Ah right, I get it. Relative Dimensions, bigger on the inside."

The Doctor looked up from the console. "Oh she's good." He said.

Jack grinned. "I know." He beckoned for Gwen to join them. "Ok, as you've just joined us, here's what we're going to do. The TARDIS will arrive in the Conference Room a few minutes before our friend Bilis will arrive. The Doctor will take up a position near the rift machine and I'll be waiting under the stairs leading up to the Conference Room. I want you and Martha on either side of the door to stop Bilis running out back the way he came. Think you can handle that?"

Martha nodded, a grim look in her eye. Gwen also looked grim as she spoke. "I hope he does try to get past us, it'll give me an excuse."

The Doctor looked up at Gwen. "Just remember, we want him alive."

"So no strangling him with his own cravat then?" Replied Gwen. "Don't worry Doctor, I used to be a Police Officer before I joined Torchwood. I don't go in for murder, no matter how much I may feel like it."

"Oh well, that's alright then." Said The Doctor cheerfully. "Shall we get under way then?" He threw a lever and the TARDIS bucked.

Gwen had to grab the console to stop herself from being thrown to the floor. "Christ! You could have warned me." She shouted over the noise of the TARDIS' engines. "I thought you had to set co-ordinates or something first?"

"Did it while we were waiting for you." Said The Doctor with a grin.

"Is it always like this?" Asked Gwen, hanging onto the console for dear life.

"Not always," said Martha, "sometimes it gets really bad."

"It's the tear in the rift," said The Doctor, "can't be helped. Sorry."

"Don't you have Inertial Dampeners or something?" Shouted Gwen.

"Inertial Dampeners? Someone likes her Science Fiction." Replied The Doctor. When Gwen glared at him, he continued. "Well, it's a bit Star Trek really, isn't it?"

In spite of her irritation, Gwen had to smile at The Doctor's joke. When everything suddenly went very still, she looked around. "Is that it, are we here?"

"Yep, we've arrived." Said The Doctor as he threw the lever that opened the door. "Stand-by for action." He said in a dramatic voice.

Martha laughed. "Thunderbirds. Now that was Science Fiction."

"F.A.B." Said The Doctor, moving like the puppet characters from Thunderbirds before leaping forward and running down the gangway that led to the open door.

"Is he always like this?" Gwen asked Jack. When Jack just grinned, she shook her head. "No wonder Queen Victoria banished him." She said as she followed Martha down the gangway.

Once outside the TARDIS, everyone fanned out towards their respective positions. The Hub was still being torn apart by the Rift and, as they moved, they occasionally had to dodge bits of flying debris as parts of the Hub either collapsed or erupted all around them. Martha just had time to find a hiding place as the door to the Hub opened and Bilis Manger stepped inside. He looked around at the Hub and, satisfied that he was alone, walked forward towards the rift machine. When he drew level with the steps leading to the Conference Room, Jack stepped out, his gun levelled at Bilis.

"That's far enough Manger."

Bilis glanced up at the ceiling when he saw who it was that had spoken. "In two places at the same time? That's clever." He said calmly. He looked behind him and saw both Gwen and Martha between him and the door.

"Feel free." Said Gwen, her eyes wide with rage and her fists clenched.

Martha stared coldly at Bilis. "I wouldn't. I can't guarantee I could stop her before she kills you."

"Oh I have no intention of going anywhere near Miss Cooper." Replied Bilis in his infuriatingly calm voice. Just then, what could only be described as a disc of rippling black nothingness suddenly opened just in front of Bilis and, before anyone could react, he stepped forward and disappeared, along with the portal.

"What the hell?" Said Jack as he stepped forward.

"Ok, what was that?" Asked Gwen, also stepping forward.

"Some kind of portal, I think." Replied Jack.

Because the three of them were so engrossed with the area where Bilis had been, none of them saw another portal open, right next to the rift machine. Bilis calmly stepped out of the portal, which instantly closed behind him, and reached inside the rift machine and grabbed the control collar. Without a word, he turned as another portal began to open.

Suddenly, there was a high-pitched, undulating whistling sound and The Doctor stepped forward holding his glowing Sonic Screwdriver before him. "Now that 'is' impressive." He said. "You can actually control The Void and pass into and out of it at will. How did you ever learn to do that?"

Gwen quickly drew her gun. "Bilis Manger, don't move. You're under arrest." She shouted as she levelled her gun at him, holding it with both hands.

"It's alright." Shouted The Doctor without taking his eyes off Bilis. "That portal is getting no bigger now. He's going no-where."

"Ahh, and you must be The Doctor?" Said Bilis calmly, almost conversationally. "It's an honour to meet you at last. I have to say, I have so looked forward to this moment. Such a pity that it has to be under these circumstances, and for such a short time. There is much we could have discussed, you and I."

The Doctor frowned as uncertainty gripped him. "What? What do you mean 'such a short time'?" He suddenly realised what it was that Bilis intended. "Gwen no!" he shouted, just as Bilis' arm snaked forward. The portal between Bilis and The Doctor was no-where near big enough for a man to go through, but it was big enough for a control collar. As the control collar disappeared into the portal, Gwen reacted on instinct. The single shot that she fired took Bilis in the side of the head and as he dropped to the ground, the black portal that he had been holding open, closed.

The Doctor ran forward and knelt down besides the body of Bilis Manger. He glared over at Gwen. "Alive! We needed him alive. And people wonder why I don't carry a gun."

Gwen could only stammer at The Doctor. "I… I didn't mean…!"

"Doctor." Said Jack. "Even I thought Bilis was going for you. Gwen just reacted on instinct."

The Doctor stood up and headed for the steps leading up to the Conference room. "Maybe." He said as he passed Jack. "But you didn't shoot an unarmed man, did you?" He turned and climbed the stairs, heading for the Conference room and the TARDIS. "Come on!" He said without looking back at any of them.

Gwen was the last to enter the TARDIS and, instead of walking up the gangway that lead to the control console, she sat down near the bottom of the gangway on her own.

The rest of them gathered around the console as The Doctor began throwing switches. After a moment, the viewer showed an area of pitch blackness except for a bright white line. Martha frowned. "What's that?"

"That," replied The Doctor, "is the Void. And the white line is polarised radiation."

"So that is where the control collar went?" Asked Martha.

"Yes, it is." Said The Doctor as he stared intently at the screen. "We can use the polarised radiation to track the control collar through the Void and trace where it went."

"What if it ends up in a different dimension?" Asked Martha.

Jack folded his arms. "It can't. It's from our dimension, so it will be drawn back to our dimension. The only problem is, it can end up anywhere in this dimension."

"And any-when." Said The Doctor as he slowly turned a dial. "Alright, I think I have a location." He punched in a few buttons and flipped some switches, then he threw a lever and the grinding sound of the TARDIS' engines started to wind up.

At the sound of the engines, Gwen looked up to the raised platform where the control console was. She could see The Doctor, Jack and Martha all in conversation but couldn't hear what was being said. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. The scene back in the Hub played itself out in her mind. Throughout all her time with Torchwood, she had never fired at anyone who didn't deserve it and, even then, she never fired without good reason. This was the first time she had ever questioned her judgement. Had she allowed her anger and rage towards Bilis Manger to cloud her judgement? Did she really believe that Bilis posed a threat towards The Doctor?

She opened her eyes and saw The Doctor standing near the bottom of the gangway, his hands in the pockets of his trousers and his eyes on her, but there was no trace of his previous anger. "Are you alright?" He asked in a calm voice.

"No, not really." Replied Gwen. She looked at The Doctor as he sat down on the step at the bottom of the gangway and folded his arms around his knees. "I didn't mean to kill him. I thought…!"

"I know." Interrupted The Doctor. "You couldn't see the portal from where you were, Martha told me. I'm sorry for getting angry with you. It's just that I've never believed in guns. I've spent nine hundred years facing some of the worst that the universe can offer and have rarely picked up a weapon. Yet it seems that you humans reach for your guns at the slightest whim."

"I thought he had a weapon." Said Gwen in a quiet voice. "I was trying to protect you."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." Said The Doctor with solemn eyes. "Look, what do you say we start again, you and me." The Doctor started bobbing his head from side to side as he spoke. "Hello, I'm The Doctor. Pleased to meet you."

Gwen smiled and closed her eyes before looking back at The Doctor. "Gwen Cooper, pleased to meet you."

"Doctor," said Jack from the console, "looks like you was bang on the money with that location. We're almost there."

The Doctor stood up and held a hand out to Gwen. "Come on, Captain Jack's landings are never pretty. Better I do it myself."

Gwen smiled and held The Doctor's hand as he pulled her up. "You should see him drive an SUV."

End Of Part 3.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, closely followed by everyone else, and looked around at the bleak landscape. The area, as far as the eye could see, was nothing but rocky outcroppings and dust and, up above, the two stars that served as this planet's Suns, beat down mercilessly in a cloudless sky.

"Retirement homes anyone?" Quipped Jack as he shielded his eyes from the bright glare.

"Sunglasses." Said The Doctor. "I must remember to pick up some sunglasses. Come on." He said as he headed off in no particular direction.

"Erm..," said Gwen uncertainly, "hadn't we better get some provisions, like water for example, to take with us?"

The Doctor stopped and, after a moment, held up one finger. "Water bottles. I must remember to pick up some water bottles." With that, he carried on in the direction he was heading.

Everyone else hurried to catch up with him and it was Martha who asked the question that everyone else was wondering. "Do you actually know where you're going?"

"There's a settlement not far away, I saw it as we came in. We should be able to get some information from there, as well as some water hopefully. I wonder if they do sunglasses as well?"

It was only a half an hour later when the group crested a small ridge and, on the plains below, they saw a large town made of tents.

Shielding her eyes with her hand, Martha tried to make out the various shapes moving around in amongst the tents. "Who are they?"

"How are we supposed to know from here?" Asked The Doctor incredulously.

"They look like Nomads." Commented Gwen.

"There you are, they're Nomads." Said The Doctor. "Shall we?" He said as he stepped over the crest of the ridge and started down the other side.

"Shouldn't we find out a bit about them before we go wandering in?" Asked Gwen hurriedly.

"We won't find anything out about them till we have a chance to talk to them." Replied The Doctor.

Jack glanced at Gwen as he passed her on the slope. "And you say I'm reckless." He said with a grin.

They entered the tents and had walked past three rows before they came across two of the inhabitants. The two people were humanoid, wore long flowing robes and had large hoods over their heads that kept their faces in dark shadows. Unperturbed, The Doctor stepped forward. "Hello, sorry to intrude. I'm The Doctor and this is Martha, Gwen and Jack. We're travellers and we're a little lost."

The two shrouded figures remained silent and motionless for a second or two, and then they both spoke together. "We are The Vos!"

"I'm sorry, The who?" Asked The Doctor.

"Come with us." Said the pair in unison before turning and walking deeper into the tents without waiting for a reply.

"Charming." Said Martha as she watched the pair walking away.

"Can't be, can it?" Asked The Doctor, more of himself than any of the group. He hurried after the two figures and the rest of the group followed.

The pair of figures led them to the center of the town of tents where there was a wide space left clear of tents to form a wide circle. As the group of travellers caught up with the pair in the middle of the clearing, the rest of the tent-dwellers began to materialise from out of, and in between, the tents. Curiously, it seemed that all of the tent dwellers wore the same kind of clothes, long dark robes and large hoods that kept their faces permanently in shadow.

"Doctor?" Said Gwen, her voice betraying her nervousness.

"Not good," said Jack as he gripped his revolver in both hands, "not good at all."

In unison, the entire town spoke at once. "We are The Vos, we bid you welcome." Just then, a bright blue light enveloped the travellers and they disappeared from the circle.

They re-appeared in a large round chamber. The chamber was featureless except for it's perfectly smooth walls and a large round plinth, roughly the size of the circular clearing in the middle of the tents, that they were standing on. Martha, Jack and Gwen all seemed to have trouble standing, yet The Doctor seemed unaffected.

"Matter transporter." Said The Doctor, his voice echoing off the walls of the large chamber. "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe."

"It doesn't feel perfectly safe." Replied Martha who had her hands on her knees and was breathing deeply to stop herself from throwing up.

"That's because you're not used to it." Said The Doctor as he gazed around at the featureless chamber.

Behind them, a door slid open and they all turned to see four figures enter the chamber. The four figures wore matching uniforms of black with an orange and red line down their right arms. They also wore helmets that covered their entire heads, the front of which was a visor of dark coloured glass or plastic that hid their features.

"We are The Vos." Said the group in unison. "You will follow."

The Doctor stepped forward. "Hang on a minute…!"

He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. Moving like lightening, the four Vos lifted their right arms and a beam of blue light flashed from their hands and engulfed each of the four travellers. As soon as the beam struck, the four travellers went rigid, before collapsing without a sound.

The four Vos simply stood still, their arms still outstretched. Then, as one, they moved forward and each picked up an unconscious prisoner before heading back out of the chamber.

Sometime later, The Doctor abruptly sat up, an indignant look on his face. "Oh, how rude!" He said out loud. He looked around at the room he was in. The room was square and some twenty feet across. The walls were white with black lines on them that criss-crossed to form large squares. There was no door and no windows, at least none visible. As he looked behind him, he saw Gwen lying on the floor behind him and scuttled over to her. "Gwen? Gwen, can you hear me?" He said as he gently moved strands of her long dark hair away from her face.

Gwen's eyes flickered open and she started.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's only me." Said The Doctor. "Come on, sit up" He took her arm and helped her to sit up.

Gwen, still looking as though she was trying to focus properly, asked. "Where are we?"

"I don't know, some kind of holding cell I would imagine." Replied The Doctor as he stood up and walked over to the wall. He tapped his finger on the wall and quickly drew it back as tiny blue sparks leapt from the wall. "Might have known, force field." He looked down at Gwen. "I mean, how rude. First they invite us in, then they teleport us down here. Then they invite us to follow them and then they just shoot us. Does that sound like a well mannered and orderly society to you?"

Gwen ignored his question as she posed one of her own. "Doctor, where are the others?"

"Not sure, probably in a cell much like this one I should think. Oh now that really is going too far. They took my Sonic Screwdriver!" Shouted The Doctor.

"Sonic what?" Asked a bewildered Gwen.

"Screwdriver." Replied The Doctor. "I never leave home without one. And, lately, a spare." He said, his face splitting into a grin as he reached behind him. He took out his hidden Sonic Screwdriver and began scanning the walls.

"Doctor," said Gwen as she watched him, "who are The Vos? You seemed to know their name."

"Not really." The Doctor stopped what he was doing and looked down at Gwen. "I haven't heard of The Vos in years, no one has. And I only heard of them in passing." He went back to scanning the walls as he spoke. "Millennia ago, The Vos ruled an entire quadrant of the Galaxy, and when I say 'ruled', I mean they conquered it. They were so formidable even the Daleks stayed out of their way. Then, within a matter of months, they vanished. All of them, an entire society and one of the most powerful in the known Universe, gone without a trace. They hadn't been heard from since, until now."

"I take it that finding them like this isn't a good thing then?" Asked Gwen.

The Doctor stopped scanning and looked at Gwen. "Not really, no." He lifted his hand and the Sonic Screwdriver made a curious, off-key noise and a hidden door silently slid open. "The Vos were one of the nastiest races in the Universe, right up there with the Daleks and the Cybermen. They didn't just conquer, they subjugated and ruled by might and force. Billions died under their rule and they had more names for torture in their language than anything else. We have to find the others, find the control collar and get out as quickly as possible. And, whatever happens, do not let The Vos know where you're from. My world is dead, yours isn't. Yet!"

They stepped out of the cell and found themselves in a long corridor. The corridor was lined with doors, around twenty of them on either side. The Doctor frowned. "Finding the others might take a while." He said as he set his Sonic Screwdriver to open the door next to him. The first room was empty, as were the next three. In the fourth one, however, they found Jack, who was hiding behind the wall and was ready to punch whoever stepped through the door.

"Doctor!" He exclaimed when he saw who it was, and then shouted even louder when he saw Gwen.

"Yes alright, keep it down." Said the Doctor. He looked into the room where jack had been imprisoned and saw that it was now empty. "Where's Martha?"

Jack's jubilation soon evaporated. He gave The Doctor a solemn look. "They took her. I tried to stop them, but there was three of them."

The Doctor's stern face didn't betray the rage he felt, a rage that both Jack and Gwen could almost physically feel radiating off him. "We have to find her."

Jack held out a placating hand. "We will. Doctor, you know we will. But a word of warning. The Vos, they're strong. I mean 'really' strong. We're talking Cybermen strong."

"What?" Asked The Doctor. "Are you saying they're Cybernetic?"

"No," replied Jack, shaking his head for emphasis, "they're flesh and blood like we are. But, of all the races I've ever encountered, they are by far the strongest physically. I dived on one when they came for Martha and he just caught me in mid-air and tossed me away like I was nothing."

The Doctor frowned. "It doesn't make sense. The Vos were always strong through force of numbers, but physically they were just like you and me. Something isn't right."

Gwen turned to The Doctor. "Before, you said that The Vos hadn't been seen for thousands of years. Couldn't they have developed this strength over time, kind of 'evolved' into it?"

A doubtful look crossed The Doctor's face. "No, not really. I mean, it's possible, but not likely."

"And what's with this talking at the same time with the same words?" Asked Jack.

"They remind me of…!" Gwen let the sentence trail off.

"Well," said The Doctor, "go on."

"Well, it's a bit Star Trek again, but they remind me of The Borg."

The Doctor's eyes suddenly widened, as did his mouth, in surprise. "Of course! Gwen, you're brilliant."

"I am?" She asked in surprise.

"A hive mind! Now that is like The Vos, even probable on evolutionary terms." He narrowed his eyes and focused on the far wall of the cell as he concentrated. "I wonder?"

"Wonder what?" Asked Jack.

"Having a hive mind is all well and good. If one member of the hive gets an idea, or wants something doing, then the rest of the hive gets the idea or sets about 'doing'. For a race like The Vos, a hive mind is perfect. If there's an uprising on one of their conquered worlds, the rest of The Vos know about it instantly and can take steps to quell it. But… there's also a comeback. If you can control the mind, effectively you can control the hive. Imagine it, having the most powerful race in the Galaxy doing your bidding."

"So, you think The Vos are being controlled by someone?" Asked Jack.

"It would explain a lot." Replied The Doctor.

"But how does it help us?" Asked Gwen.

"Simple." Said The Doctor.

Jack grinned as he looked at The Doctor. "We take control off the controller."

"Exactly." Said The Doctor. "And I know how to find them." He said as he held up his Sonic Screwdriver.

"Forgive my scepticism," said Gwen, "but how is 'that' going to help you find a Vos-controlling… thing?"

The Doctor held up the Sonic Screwdriver, which rattled slightly. "Psychic energy is just that, energy. And, like all energy, it has a particular frequency. All I have to do is find which frequency the Controller is using and I can track him using this."

Jack frowned. "So, how're you gonna find which frequency to track?"

"Ah!" Said The Doctor. He cocked his head back slightly as he slowly turned to look at Jack. "That's going to be a little tricky. First, I need to find a Vos. Then I'll have to scan through the entire frequency range with the Jammer until I find the frequency being used, then I'll know what to look for."

Jack nodded his head. "Ok, I can see how that might prove a little tricky."

"That's not the tricky part." Replied The Doctor with a smirk.

"It's not?" Asked Jack.

The Doctor shook his head. "As soon as I find the frequency and jam it, the Controller will know. We'll have every Vos in this area on us in minutes, maybe sooner."

Jack sighed. "Alright, that's tricky-er."

Gwen had her arms folded and was chewing thoughtfully on a fingernail. "We'll need a diversion." She said.

"That could work." Replied The Doctor.

"Alright, that's my job." Said Jack. He looked at Gwen with a serious face. "You stick with The Doctor, at least then I'll know you're safe."

The Doctor frowned. "And what are you going to be doing that isn't so safe?"

"Providing you with a diversion, in my own inimitable style." Replied Jack with a grin as he headed for the door. "I'll meet you back here. If not here, then back at the TARDIS." With that, he disappeared around the corner. The Doctor opened his mouth to shout something as Jack's voice came back to them. "Yes, I'll keep an eye out for Martha too!"

The Doctor pursed his lips as he nodded. Then he looked at Gwen before also heading for the door.

End Of Part 4.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5.

Jack made his way down the corridor until it met with another corridor crossing the one he was in in a 'T' junction. The corridor was similar to the one he was in, square shaped with long strip-lights on the roof. There were a number of doors along both walls, doors which led, he assumed, to more cells. "Eeny-meeny-miney-mo." He said to himself before turning right and softly running down the corridor.

At the end, he found another corridor, but this one had a door at the end and he quickly made his way over to it. He held his breath and listened for any noise coming from behind the door. When he heard nothing, he pushed a blue button at the side and the door silently slid open. On the other side was a set of steps leading down. He quickly went down the steps and found a short corridor with another door at the end. This door led to a wide, cavernous room. Here, the walls were rough hewn rock and a path with a guard rail wound around the edge. He looked over the edge and saw, not far below, a series of gangways that criss-crossed the yawning chasm. Below the gangways was nothing but total darkness. Jack didn't know how far down the chasm went, but he had a sense that, if anyone fell into the chasm, it would be a while before they stopped falling.

He looked along the path he was on and saw some steps that led down to one of the gangways. He quickly made his way over to, and down, the steps and crossed the empty gangway into a tunnel that was lined along the roof with pipes. He followed the tunnel and eventually came to a door in the wall. Inside the door was a small chamber which he took to be a workshop. A quick search of the room turned up nothing that could be useful, so he went back outside and continued along the tunnel. He had only gone a few steps, however, when he heard a door open somewhere ahead of him. He looked around for somewhere to hide, but the only place was back in the workshop, so he quickly ran back and ducked inside. He left a small crack open in the door and watched as the two Vos walked silently past. This was the first chance he had to actually see what the Vos looked like. They were completely hairless, but humanoid in shape. However, their heads were more domed-shaped than a Human and they had no noses to speak of, just small bumps that had a slit that opened and closed as they breathed, no ears except for a small opening on the sides of their heads, and lipless mouths. But most disturbing of all was their skin. It was virtually transparent and Jack could clearly see the veins and musculature underneath. As they walked, the two seemed to be communicating with each other, but they weren't speaking and Jack surmised that they were speaking using their joined hive minds. He shook his head as he thought of hearing an entire race's thoughts all the time and marvelled at how they hadn't all been driven insane from the constant din of so many voices all constantly speaking at once.

When the two Vos had gone, Jack left the room and continued to the door the two Vos had used. He found himself in another corridor, lined with more doors. None of the doors had windows, in fact he couldn't remember even seeing a window, anywhere. Then it occurred to him that the Vos didn't need windows. If someone was in the room, they would know where they were and what was in it anyway, so what was the point of windows? As he passed down the corridor, he paused at some of the doors and listened. He could hear feint sounds of movement coming from most of the rooms and left the doors alone, though he had a burning desire to open some of them just to see what was on the other side. He found one door with no sounds coming from the other side and tried the door. These doors actually had handles and the door opened easily enough, so he slipped inside. The room seemed to be some sleeping quarters. There was a comfortable looking bed in the corner that was very plain and with a single sheet of some strange grey material pulled tightly over it. There was also a desk with a single chair and a lamp on it and some shelves with, what Jack could only guess was, ornaments on them, though they were simple geometric shapes made of some kind of porcelain.

Suddenly, the door behind him opened and jack turned to see a stunned Vos looking at him. The Vos lifted his arm which had some kind of silver weapon underneath, but Jack grabbed the arm and spun the Vos into the small room. As the Vos collided with the desk, Jack gave him a hard right hook which snapped the Vos' head sideways and sent his unconscious form crashing into the shelves. When the Vos landed on the floor, Jack bent down to take the weapon from him, but saw that on the other end of the tube, a pipe ran into the Vos' arm, just under the muscle.

"Well that's not fair!" He said out loud as he stood up and quickly headed out of the door. He turned right into the corridor and ran down it towards a door at the end. On his right, a door opened and a Vos stepped out, only to meet Jack's fist and be knocked back into the room again. At the end of the corridor, Jack threw open the door and saw a corridor in front and one on either side. Two Vos were heading towards him from the one in front and the one to the right had a few Vos in it as well, so Jack turned left and ran at break-neck speed until he came to a corner. He rounded the corner at full speed and then stopped. The first Vos to come around the corner found himself spinning backwards through the air as Jack held his arm out and clothes-lined him. The second one found himself in a similar predicament with Jack's elbow. Before the other four could react, Jack was amongst them. There was no style with Jack, no finesse. He was fighting for his life and it was a street-brawl, so anything went as he attacked using hands, feet, elbows and his head. Even when two more Vos joined the fray, the outcome was no different. Soon, Jack was surrounded by unconscious and inert Vos and he leaned on the wall to get his breath back. The Vos may be stronger than him, but they were just as easily surprised as anyone else. From down the corridor came the sound of more running feet and Jack saw four more Vos heading his way, then five and then a sixth came into view.

"Not gonna give up are ya?" Said Jack as he pushed himself up. A red bolt of light sizzled passed his head and Jack ducked slightly. "Hey!" He shouted and then ducked around the corner before breaking into a run.

He ran down the corridor and into a second one. This corridor led into a large room which seemed to be a communal eating room, filled out with benches and long tables. As he almost reached a door on the other side of the dining room, three Vos ran in, so Jack launched himself into the air and turned himself sideways in mid-air. He collected all three Vos and had a soft landing on all of them. He quickly got up and bolted through the door and down another corridor. However, he was getting very tired now. The adrenalin in his blood was almost spent now and his lungs were burning from all the exertion and the fighting. So, halfway down the corridor, he stopped running and turned to face the three Vos from the dining room. "Ok, time to try a different tack. Let's just hope those things aren't set to atomize, I'm not sure how that would work out." He balled his fists as he stared at the three Vos. Then he stamped his foot as he shouted, "Come on!"

The three Vos fired simultaneously and Jack went rigid as he was enveloped in red light. Then his lifeless body fell and lay perfectly still.

After Jack had left The Doctor and Gwen, The Doctor had signalled for Gwen to follow him out into the corridor. They were just in time to see Jack disappear around a corner so they headed off in the opposite direction.

Again, it was hit and miss as to which direction to take, so The Doctor did his usual and began wandering around aimlessly. However, every now and again he would stop and scan the walls with his sonic screwdriver as though he were searching for, or following, something. Eventually the corridors, which for the most part had been the same as the one they had first found themselves in after leaving their cell, had all been the same. Now they had found some that were different and, as The Doctor rounded a corner, he came face to face with a lone Vos.

"Ah," said The Doctor with a smile. Then he frowned, "if you don't mind me saying, your complexion isn't looking too healthy. Lucky for you I'm a Doctor. Hold still, this won't take a moment." He stepped forward and held the sonic screwdriver up to the Vos' head and began scanning.

"I know who you are, Doctor." Said the Vos in a distinctly feminine voice. "You and your companion behind the corner."

"Really, that's interesting." Replied The Doctor as Gwen stepped out from behind the corner and stood just behind him. If Gwen found the appearance of the Vos disturbing, she didn't show it as she kept her facial expression as stern as possible.

"What, that I know who you are?" Asked the Vos.

"No," replied The Doctor, "that you referred to yourself as 'I'. As a member of a hive mind, you would always refer to yourself in the plural."

"I am not connected to the hive."

"Really? And how did you manage that?" Asked The Doctor as he folded his arms.

"Some of us have the ability to disconnect from the hive and operate independently. There aren't many, but there are a few."

The Doctor raised his head slightly as he gazed at the Vos. "But why would you want to do something like that?"

The Vos thought for a moment, just a split second, before answering. "I think you know already, Doctor."

"So, I was right. The hive has been invaded and the Vos are being controlled."

"We were once the rulers of a mighty empire that encompassed a thousand planets. Now, the Vos are little more than slaves. Drones to do the bidding of Vraxilion."

"And you and the others like you, you are opposed to this 'Vraxilion'?"

Gwen, who had been wondering how The Doctor could speak so calmly to this Vos when, not more than half an hour ago, he had been a prisoner of the Vos, felt compelled to join in this strange conversation. Without waiting for the Vos to answer, she posed a question of her own. "Why haven't you risen up against the Vraxilion? I thought the Vos were supposed to be a powerful race?"

It was The Doctor who answered, without taking his eyes off the Vos before him. "Because Vraxilion controls the hive and the hive controls the Vos."

"Correct, Doctor." Replied the Vos. "Those of us who oppose Vraxilion are too few in number, we can't hope to defeat Vraxilion. Especially without destroying half our population at the same time."

Gwen nodded her head and folded her arms. "So that's why we're standing here having this conversation. You want our help?"

The Vos woman turned a steady gaze on Gwen. "You are the first outsiders to find us in an Eon. You have seen how we live, either in squalor on the surface of this barren planet, or deep underneath it without ever seeing the daylight. Meanwhile Vraxilion has all its desires seen to by slaves, Vos slaves."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like poetic justice from what I've heard about the Vos."

The Vos woman continued. "But worst of all, every few days, Vraxilion feasts. The Beast orders willing sacrifices to be made to it, two or three at a time. And the carcasses are thrown down into a pit that those same slaves have bored down almost to this planet's core. For Vraxilion is a Carnivore and there is only one source of meat on this planet."

The Doctor turned and looked at Gwen, who had paled slightly, before he answered. "Alright," he turned back to the Vos woman, "we'll help you. We'll help free you and your people from Vraxilion. But we will want a few things in return. For one thing, one of our friends is missing. We want her returning to us before we do anything."

"The dark-skinned one? I know where she is to be found. Agreed. Next?"

"First Martha, the rest will follow."

End Of Part 5.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6.

All was dark. But this wasn't just an absence of light, this was an absence of everything. Everything and anything.

Almost.

For somewhere out there, in the impenetrable darkness, something moved. It had been there since the dawn of time and would remain until the very last moment winked out of existence. It was the ultimate destroyer, the last great fear. It was the inevitable conclusion to a Human existence, the final state of being. Here, in the dark realm of death, it was the end.

Except for Captain Jack Harkness, who had seen it all before. If the thing in the darkness was the final torment of the Human consciousness after death, then he was the thing's torment. He could feel it move, knew it was coming closer. He knew that, any moment now, the thing would lunge for the final strike and then there would be….?

Light.

Jack opened his eyes and sucked in a great lungful of air into lungs that, not for the first time, hadn't expected to have to work ever again. The pain was indescribable. The lungs suddenly found they had to work again, taking in air and processing it. The heart suddenly had to pump blood that had ceased to flow and strained under the pressure. All the organs of his body suddenly had to spring into action where no further action was needed anymore. And none of them liked it very much.

Jack lay there for a moment, waiting for his body to calm down. He looked around and saw that he was alone in, what he surmised was, a mortuary. All around the walls were cupboards with their doors closed and, underneath, various jars with who-knew-what inside them. Jack almost shuddered at the thought, especially when he saw, on both side of the long table he was laying on, a table with surgical implements that wouldn't have gone a-miss in an Inquisition torture chamber.

Jack was about to sit up when he heard a noise come from outside the room, so he closed his eyes again and lay perfectly still. When he heard the door open and close again, he risked peeping through his eyes while keeping them as near closed as possible. He saw two Vos standing by the door. Both were looking inside one of the cupboards on the wall and, when they turned, they both came over to stand one on each side of Jack. Jack closed his eyes fully again and waited. When he sensed the Vos were close enough, he suddenly grabbed them both by the collar of their clothes and yanked them down. There was a sickening crack as the two Vos' heads collided and Jack heaved them both away as their bodies began to go limp. Both Vos flew backwards, one of them colliding with the table and falling over it to lie still on the floor, the other flying over the table to crash into some jars and a couple of cupboards before sinking to the floor where he lay as still as his companion.

Jack quickly got up off the table and looked down at the inert Vos. "Sorry guys, I don't do well with Alien Autopsies. Especially when I'm the Alien." He noticed, on the floor next to the Vos on his right, a shiny metal bar that ended in a sharp looking triangular blade, about two feet in length. He had no idea what possible medical value it had, but it would make a handy weapon so he picked it up and made for the door. But, instead of opening the door, he stopped and looked up as he felt a draught on his head. What he saw made him grin. "Well, it's good to see that some things can be found pretty much anywhere." He pulled one of the tables under the air vent, took off his shoes and climbed up onto the table. Then he pulled the grate off the air vent and put it inside the duct, followed by his shoes. Then he jumped down, grabbed one of the Vos and placed him on the table before climbing back onto the table and into the duct. Before putting the grate back into place, he looked back into the room and saw, what appeared to be, the scene of a fight with no clues as to where he had gone. When the Vos came to investigate, it would just look like he had gone out of the door.

Inside the duct, Jack put on his shoes that might have left scuff marks on the table and then crawled away, his new weapon tucked safely in his belt like a short sword.

Meanwhile, not too far away, The Doctor and Gwen were following the female Vos, who had told them her name was Chana, down a long corridor. Once or twice, as they walked, they'd had to hide from passing Vos. Each time they had been given warning of the approaching Vos by Chana who had told them that she was 'touching the hive', that she could sense things from the hive without the hive knowing that she was there. She also told them the news about Jack's death, something that neither of them found all that disturbing, much to Chana's surprise.

Chana led them down a corridor and into another, much smaller corridor. This corridor led them to a large rotunda. Down on the floor of the rotunda, they could see that the whole area was sectioned off with a large number of display cases and various other displays making narrow walkways that criss-crossed each other.

The Doctor looked down into the rotunda, which was deserted, and leaned on a parapet. "What is this place?" He asked Chana.

"A Museum of sorts." Replied the Vos. "It's where we keep… oddities, for general viewing."

Gwen, who was standing next to The Doctor and was also looking down, suddenly gasped. "Oh my God Doctor, look." She pointed to one of the display cases near the center of the museum. There, standing in a narrow glass tube, was Martha.

Outraged, The Doctor fought for control of his emotions as he gripped the edge of the parapet. "What have you done to her?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"We have done nothing." Said Chana. "She is just immobilised but perfectly preserved within the stasis tube. I give you my word she is unharmed."

The Doctor squinted as he looked down at Martha. "Perfectly preserved and perfectly aware of everything going on around her." He said, slowly losing the fight to control his rage. "Her eyes are moving. She can still see everything that's going on."

"Yes, that is curious." Replied Chana in a contemplative if unemotional tone of voice. "That is a trait unique to her species."

"I'm sure she'd be thrilled to hear that. Get her out of there!"

If Chana was at all disturbed by The Doctor's tone, she didn't show it. "Yes, of course. There is a control room on the opposite side of the museum. We will have to be careful, there are a number of Vos between us and the control room."

"Anything I can do to help?" Asked a voice that was all too familiar to The Doctor and Gwen. All three people turned this way and that to see where Jack had spoken from, but it was Gwen who was the first to look up.

"Jack? How did you get up there?"

"Oh, you know me, always sneaking around the place." Said Jack, peering out from a grill-covered air vent.

The Doctor looked up at the vent, some fifteen feet above him. "Jack, they've got Martha on display down there."

"I know, I heard. Who's your friend?"

"This is Chana. She's a member of an underground movement within the Vos. She's helping us and, in return, we're going to help her free the Vos."

"Ok, sounds like a good deal." He changed his position in the vent so he could better see Chana. "Where is this control room?"

"Directly opposite us, on the floor above." Replied Chana. Then she frowned. "I was given to understand that there were four of you. Two up here, one down there, one dead…?"

"Don't believe everything you hear." Said Jack cryptically. "I'll be as quick as I can. I suggest you get down there for when I set Martha free." With that, Jack was gone and all that could be heard were some faint sounds of movement from the duct that could have been over-looked if you weren't listening out for them.

"This way." Said Chana before anyone could speak. She turned away from the duct and led them to a set of steps that lead down. At the bottom, she stopped and pressed herself against the wall and The Doctor and Gwen did the same. Two Vos, wearing the black and orange uniform and helmet of the security guards, walked past but didn't look up the stairs. When they had passed, Chana continued on into the museum and headed straight for Martha.

When they arrived, The Doctor stood directly in front of Martha and mouthed the words 'We're here. We'll get you out.' Then he looked up at the area where Chana had said the control room was.

Again, there was no window looking down into the museum, so no one on the ground saw Jack jump out of the duct and land lightly on his feet. The control room was deserted and Jack moved straight over to a long control panel that was arrayed with buttons and lights. None of the buttons were marked, but not all had illuminated lights over them either. Jack assumed that all the buttons with lights on over the top were controlling tubes that were working and, therefore, occupied. So he began pressing all the buttons and extinguishing all the lights. When they were all out, he left the control room and headed down to the museum floor.

On the museum floor, The Doctor stood back as, first he saw Martha move, and then the tube she was held captive in slowly began to go down. Once she was clear of the tube, Martha all but fell off the plinth she was standing on, but The Doctor was there to catch her. "It's alright, it's alright. I've got you, you're safe now." He said as he held her tight.

Martha gripped him back fiercely. "Doctor. I couldn't move, I couldn't shout. I couldn't do anything except watch as all these Vos just paraded past me and stared at me. It was horrible. I've never been so happy to see you, or Gwen."

"It's good to have you back, safe." Said Gwen, surprised at just how much she meant it.

"How did you find me? How did you get me out?" Asked Martha.

It was The Doctor who answered. "Jack got you out, he's up in the control room and should be with us in a minute. It was Chana who showed us where you were." The Doctor held his hand out to show Chana to Martha. When Martha saw her, she punched the Vos woman on the jaw although she was too weak to make it a good punch.

"Now now," said The Doctor as he caught hold of Martha again, "let's have none of that. We're all allies now, we're helping each other."

Chana weathered the blow and stood, rubbing her jaw, looking appreciatively at Martha. "I must admire your spirit. You possess the spirit of the Vos."

"Was I just insulted?" Asked Martha with a frown.

Just then Jack arrived and saw Chana rubbing her jaw and Martha glaring at her. "Well, I see we're all getting acquainted."

Martha gave Jack a grateful smile. "Thank you Jack."

Jack returned the smile. "Anytime. Ok, what's next?"

The Doctor looked at Chana. "Now, we uphold our end of the deal. But, before we do, let's make some things clear. Chana, will you speak for the Vos?"

"I will speak for the Vos." Replied Chana.

"Once the Vos are free, we are to be allowed to go on our way."

Chana closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Agreed."

"We will not take any Vos with us. Once you are free, you can begin to build your civilisation again but you do it on this world."

Again Chana nodded her head. "Agreed."

The Doctor fixed Chana with a hard stare. "I have no doubt the Vos will one day travel back amongst the stars. When that day comes, you will leave their home world alone. The Human Race is to be left unchallenged, in any way, by the Vos."

"Agreed." Replied Chana. "Earth will forever be a protected planet. So swear the Vos."

The Doctor folded his arms. "As I thought, you do know where they're from."

Chana just held The Doctor's gaze but said nothing.

"Alright then," continued The Doctor, "I need to see Vraxilion. Take us to where…!"

"Before we go to the Beast," interrupted Chana, "there is somewhere we need to go first."

"And where's that?" Asked Jack.

"We will need help to get to Vraxilion, the Beast will be guarded and guarded well. I have summoned the free Vos to help."

Jack looked at The Doctor. "Can't hurt."

Martha put her hand on The Doctor's shoulder and moved past him. "Before we go anywhere, I think we should put this somewhere safe." She picked up an object off another plinth and turned to the group. In her hand she held the control collar. "I spent a long time looking at this when I was in that tube."

The Doctor grinned. "See, things are looking up."

Gwen, who had been looking at some of the other exhibits, shouted to Jack. "Jack, look what I found." She turned around and held up their guns.

"I'll say." Commented Jack with a grin.

End Of Part 6.


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7.

The Doctor, Martha, Jack and Gwen followed Chana as she led them through more of the corridors, corridors that seemed conspicuously empty of other Vos.

"Some of the free Vos are telling the hive they have seen Jack in another part of the complex. They have drawn all the Vos in this area away."

Jack grinned. "Nice. I'm giving them the run-around without doing any of the running. I find that strangely appealing."

The Doctor smiled and looked at Jack.

"Doctor, please?"

Rose held out a trembling hand towards The Doctor, but his eyes couldn't leave her face. Her eyes no longer held the sparkle of life which he had come to love about them. Now they were dull and sunken and the dark rings around them gave a definite hint of the skull which lay beneath her sallow skin. Her cheeks were also sunken, giving her face a drawn appearance that was enhanced by the fading colour of her once vibrant complexion. Her hair hung limp and lifeless against her shoulders that drooped, as though she no longer had the strength left to hold herself up.

Rose looked as close to death as she could without actually dieing.

Jack watched as the look of amusement on The Doctor's face turned to one of horror and pain. "Doctor, what is it?"

"Rose." Replied The Doctor quietly. He looked into Jack's eyes with eyes that were haunted with the vision he had just seen. "We're losing her Jack. I'm running out of time." He turned to Chana, his mind at war with itself. Part of him wanted to go, to leave the Vos to their own devices and to save Rose. But a part of him knew that he couldn't. He had to finish what had been started, and finish it he would. "We have to hurry. Are the free Vos ready?"

"They are." Said Chana, looking uncertainly at the group.

"Then take us to them, quickly."

Chana nodded as she looked at the rest of the group who were all exchanging concerned glances of their own. "This way." She said as she led them down a corridor that led to the large chasm that Jack had seen earlier.

As they crossed one of the narrow bridges, Gwen looked over the side and down into the gaping maw of the chasm. "Is this the pit where…?" She left the sentence unfinished.

"It is." Replied Chana. "We must go down three levels." She said, her voice echoing slightly in the huge cavern. Every now and again, she glanced back at The Doctor as she led the group around and down the edge of the chasm, though she said nothing. If the Doctor noticed, he said nothing either.

Eventually, they came to a large set of double doors that seemed to be made of some kind of metal. Chana tapped lightly on the doors and then entered when they opened, closely followed by The Doctor and his companions.

Inside the doors was a large circular chamber that was almost Cathedral like in its construction. The domed ceiling of the chamber was lost in the shadows high overhead and any sound made in the chamber seemed to echo forever. There were no pews or anything else that might be found in a Cathedral, but what there was was a large number of Vos, numbering in their hundreds. As the companions entered and the door closed behind them, all the Vos turned to stare. It was the most unnerving sight that any of the four companions had ever seen.

Chana led them to the 'front' of the chamber where there was a raised dais and she stepped up and turned to face the free Vos. "Brethren," she said in a quiet voice that still carried through-out the chamber, "our day is at hand. Long have we waited for the chance to free our people from The Beast called Vraxilion. Long have we lived under the shadow of The Beast, lived as outcasts from our own people, lived with the fear of discovery of our freedom. But that is all coming to an end. Now we have allies, new friends to help us with our struggle for freedom. Now is the time to free our brethren of the hive and bring down The Beast once and for all."

The Doctor, who was only half listening to Chana, felt something tugging at his sleeve and turned to look at Jack. "Tell me you have a plan." Said Jack quietly.

"Oh yeah," replied The Doctor, "I was going to follow your lead."

Jack frowned then cast a furtive glance up at Chana before continuing with The Doctor. "Can you do what you said earlier, about finding this Vraxilion?"

"Oh I can do more than that." Said The Doctor. "Not only can I find Vraxilion, I can block its connection to the hive as well. Get me close enough and I can free the Vos without anyone getting hurt."

Jack looked around at the surrounding Vos. "To be honest, I don't think that's going to be an option." He looked up at Chana as she finished speaking and stepped down to them. "Chana, tell me about this chamber where Vraxilion is."

"The chamber is large, much larger than this." Said Chana. "In the center of the chamber is the throne where the Beast sits. It is four stone pillars covered with golden silk. The throne is constantly guarded, within the chamber, by two hundred Khadrahin Vos, elite security troops. There are another three hundred Khadrahin Vos, in three groups of one hundred, close by for reinforcements. There are two entrances to the chamber, both on opposite sides of the throne and both only accessible by passing the reinforcement platoons of Khadrahin."

Jack thought for a moment. "The reinforcements, are they stationed in small rooms or in chambers like this one?"

"In chambers such as this."

Jack gave The Doctor a look that he knew all too well. "I have a plan."

Half an hour later, Jack and Gwen led a hundred of the free Vos down a corridor of rough hewn stone. When they came to a set of grey doors, Jack hooked a thumb at the door handles and one of the Vos stepped forward with a thick piece of metal.

Gingerly, the Vos slid the metal bar into the door handles and then fastened a thick chain to it. Jack nodded his head appreciatively. "Ok," he whispered, "that's both of them on this side. The Doctor and Chana should have done theirs by now so let's get in position near the throne room door and get ready to move."

When they reached the ornately designed doors of the throne room, Jack took Gwen to one side. "When we go in, you hang back and keep an eye out here. If anyone comes, anyone at all, don't hesitate to shoot. Even if you miss them, at least we'll know they're there. Ok?"

Gwen nodded. "Jack, be careful."

One of the Vos came over. "Chana is ready."

Jack nodded and drew his gun. "Then it's time to free the Vos. Are you ready?"

"We are."

"When we get in there, make as much noise as you can. We need to bring as many of the Khadrahin to us as possible before The Doctor and Chana come in."

The Vos stared at Jack. "We are ready."

"Then open the door and let's get this over with."

On the other side of the chamber, The Doctor with Martha, Chana and the remaining three hundred free Vos waited by the second door after similarly barring the last Khadrahin door.

Chana turned to The Doctor. "If we are successful here today, the Vos will owe you a huge debt of honour Doctor."

The Doctor gave Chana a hard stare. "Just remember our agreement Chana, and hold the Vos to it. That will be payment enough."

"I wonder if you truly comprehend how small the price you ask of us is?"

"I do. Just keep the agreement."

"We can offer you…!" Chana suddenly closed her eyes before finishing her sentence. With her eyes closed, a smile played across her lips and she lifted her head slowly. "Jack and the others have entered the chamber."

The Doctor and Martha both looked at each other before looking at the huge doors to the chamber. "What?" Asked The Doctor. "How can you tell?"

Chana looked back at The Doctor before opening her eyes. When her eyes did open, they burned with an unearthly red glow. "Because the free Vos are screaming battle cries that haven't been heard for millennia, and it is wondrous."

Martha looked at the free Vos around them. All of them had the strange and frightening glow in their eyes and she stepped back as they began to move towards the door.

The Doctor also took a step away from the door. "After you then." He said as he stared at Chana and her brethren.

As the Vos that Jack had spoken to opened the door, Jack ran in and screamed a battle cry of his own, but quickly stopped when he realised he was the only one actually screaming. As the fiery-eyed free Vos rushed past him into the chamber, he looked on in consternation. "Oh yeah, that's right! You give your own battle cries that only you guys can hear!" Then he joined the rush.

From where he was, Jack could see the raised dais with a silk shrouded structure on top that looked like a cross between Stonehenge and a Chinese ornamental garden feature. This was the throne of Vraxilion and it was indeed surrounded by Khadrahin, hundreds of them. As the free Vos poured into the chamber, the Khadrahin reacted and began firing their weapons. The free Vos returned in kind and the chamber was filled with bolts of red light as plasma discharges whipped backwards and forwards. But, through it all, Jack could see that his plan was working. Taken by surprise, the Khadrahin had reacted on instinct. They had all moved to engage the enemy which meant that their rear flank was unprotected. "Now Doctor, now." He said under his breath as his first opponent loomed in front of him.

The opposite doors suddenly opened and, just before the main force of the free Vos entered, The Doctor and Martha slipped in and broke to their right. Then the main force of the free Vos was inside the chamber. They quickly fanned out before firing on the rear flank of the Khadrahin force, part of which turned and began firing back.

As The Doctor hurried to the large throne area, he looked over at the battle. The Khadrahin may be the elite, but they didn't stand a chance having to defend on all flanks the way they were. They might be able to stand for a short time, they might even be able to thin the ranks of the free Vos a little, but the end slaughter would still be the same. When they reached the dais, he turned to Martha. "Stay here." Without waiting for a response, he stepped onto the dais with his sonic screwdriver in hand.

The silk curtain nearest The Doctor suddenly erupted as Vraxilion burst out and landed on The Doctor. The beast was huge, almost seven feet tall and insectoid. Its body was in four sections. The bottom section had two thin legs that had serrated ridges along the back and little claw-like feet that clicked on the floor when it walked. The lower, what Martha's medically trained mind called, abdominal section seemed to have no limbs attached to it and Martha had the distressing thought that this section was the beast's stomach. The middle abdominal section had two stingers, one on each side of its body, that curved around towards the front and seemed to flex backwards and forwards. The top abdominal section had the beast's hands and arms. Although they were stick thin, they seemed to be very powerful as Vraxilion seemed to have no trouble holding onto The Doctor with them. Vraxilion's head was an insect nightmare. It had two bulbous, multi-faceted eyes that took up most of its head. It had no antennae that Martha could see, but she wasn't really looking. Her eyes had been drawn to the beast's mouth. Two serrated mandibles flicked backwards and forwards around a large mouth that was full of needle sharp teeth and was drooling a thick, black ochre as it loomed over The Doctor.

For his part, The Doctor was completely taken by surprise by the sudden attack. As Vraxilion grabbed him, he lost his hold on the sonic screwdriver which fell and clattered down the steps of the dais. The Doctor too fell down the steps, with Vraxilion clinging onto him with its thin arms. At the bottom, The Doctor managed to get his arms up and hold Vraxilion's head away, he also managed to get one knee up and hold the insectoid monster's body far enough away that it couldn't reach him with its stingers. But the beast was strong, very strong, and The Doctor was going to lose eventually.

"Doctor!" Screamed Martha. She ducked as some stray plasma blasts impacted close to her and then made to run to help The Doctor.

"The… sonic screwdriver!" Shouted The Doctor. "Push… the blue… button." He heaved and pushed Vraxilion's head away from his as it got too close for comfort.

Jack had fought many battles in his life before now, but none had been as hard as this one. Not longer after the battle had been joined, he had emptied his revolver into the thronging Khadrahin. He had even managed to reload with four rounds, but had quickly used them as well. So he had resorted to using the medical implement from the autopsy room as a short sword and was now battling almost hand to hand with the Khadrahin. Suddenly there was a gunshot and he looked to the door they had come through to see Gwen rushing in. "Free Vos, rear defence!" He shouted just before one of the Khadrahin grabbed him from behind around the throat.

Gwen heard Jack give the order for rear defence and saw a number of free Vos turn, raise their arms and aim their weapons at the door. The same door she was still in front of. "Oh crap." She exclaimed before diving off to her left. She covered her head as the free Vos opened fire and she heard the bolts of plasma striking home. One bolt impacted on the wall close by her and she scrambled away from the carnage. She stood up and gripped her gun in both hands and began to turn.

The sudden silence came on like an explosion, all consuming and total. Gwen couldn't understand what was happening at first. She was stood, aiming her gun with both hands, but all the fighting had ceased and all the Vos, both free and Khadrahin, seemed to be standing around looking at each other as though they had never seen each other before. Then she saw Jack who was fighting for breath but looking around as surprised as she was. Then she became aware of a high pitched electronic whine. She turned towards the dais and saw Martha holding up The Doctor's sonic screwdriver and a huge, insect-like creature on top of The Doctor. Her reflex action was instinctive and seemed to take forever to happen. In her mind, her arms moved, in extreme slow motion, of their own volition as she lifted her gun and pulled the trigger.

End Of Part 7.


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8.

Gwen sat down on the floor at the bottom of the ramp leading to the control console of the TARDIS. On the floor in front of her was her gun, looking like just another piece of harmless metal and plastic. And that's all it was really. It wasn't until she actually held it that it became a thing of death and destruction. She looked up at the platform where the console was and saw Jack staring intently at the viewer with Martha standing behind him with a nervous look on her face.

Gwen suddenly leaned forward and swept up her gun and stood up. She slipped the gun back into the shoulder holster beneath her jacket as she marched up the ramp to the console. "Jack, we shouldn't have left him in there on his own!"

"I agree." Said Martha.

Jack looked down from the viewer. "Look, relax, the both of you. You both heard The Doctor's instructions. 'Come back to the TARDIS and wait'. That's what we're doing." He looked at Gwen, and then at Martha. Both women had a distressed look on their faces and, if the truth be told, he shared their distress. But he knew The Doctor well enough to know that he would be fine. He'd been in stickier situations than this and all had ended well. "Hey, we're the heroes of the hour. What's gonna happen?"

Gwen looked up at the viewer, which showed the 'path' leading to the door of the TARDIS. "Heroes? Then why don't I feel like a hero?"

Martha folded her arms and stared at the viewer, almost willing it to show The Doctor walking towards the door. "Did you see them after Gwen killed Vraxilion? They just stared at each other and smiled in total silence. It was the most unnerving thing I've ever seen."

Jack smiled. "I know what you mean. We're so used to people celebrating by cheering and slapping each other on the back. But they've spent thousands of years under the domination of Vraxilion, I doubt they know how to celebrate. Except for in their heads anyway. I bet, as soon as the hive realised they were free, they all went ballistic."

"They did." Said The Doctor from the bottom of the ramp. He started walking up the ramp as he continued. "Have you ever been in a totally silent room and still had to shout to make yourself heard? It's really weird."

"Doctor!" Shouted Martha. She'd never been so happy to him before.

Jack had a perplexed look on his face. He looked at The Doctor, then up at the viewer, pointed a finger at it and then looked back at The Doctor.

"I used their Transmat beam." Said The Doctor. "Beamed myself right to the door. Well, why walk?" He said with a grin as he looked down at the console and began flipping switches. Then he stopped and turned to Gwen, looking straight into her eyes. "You saved my life back there. Thank you."

Gwen gave a slight smile. "Anytime."

The Doctor grinned. "Hopefully that will be the last time. Life or death situations can get a bit tedious after a while. Right! Cardiff. Are we ready?"

"Hold it!" Shouted Gwen. She walked over to The Doctor. Then she looked down at the console and took a hold of a handle, then she looked back at The Doctor with a bemused look. "Ready."

The Doctor laughed and threw the switch, causing the TARDIS to suddenly buck and shake.

Once the TARDIS had left the planet behind, Jack called The Doctor over. "Look." He said as he indicated the viewer.

The Doctor frowned as he saw the planet with a strange red and yellow 'cloud' next to it.

"I've seen that before," said Jack, "it's a Hyperspace window."

As they all watched the viewer, a large ship, followed by another and then another, came out of the Hyperspace window. Then a fourth one appeared, and a fifth. Martha frowned. "Are they Vraxilion's people?"

"No." replied The Doctor in a quiet voice, his eyes never leaving the viewer. "They're the Vos. I thought those on the planet were all that was left of the Vos, but I was wrong." He suddenly spun around and stalked away from the viewer. "Stupid! There was nothing on the planet, no landing pads or launch bays, nothing. So I assumed they no longer had space travel. I should've realised, they have Transmat beams. So they don't need landing pads. They can just transport up and down at will."

Jack stepped towards The Doctor. "Hey, it's not your fault."

The Doctor looked up at the viewer and then at Jack. "I've unleashed the Vos on the Galaxy, again."

Martha was about to speak but Gwen beat her to it. "We, Doctor, 'we' unleashed the Vos. And how was any of us to know?"

But it was Martha who finally finished the conversation. "Doctor, we can deal with the Vos another time. Right now, we have more urgent things to do."

In the Conference Room of the Hub, a sudden and prolonged gust of wind began blowing all Tosh's papers around. She slapped her hand down on the pile besides her laptop, what was left of them anyway, and then watched as the TARDIS began to materialise close to where it had been before. She looked up as both Owen and Ianto came rushing in.

"That was quick." Said Ianto.

"Time machine." Replied Tosh in a melodic tone of voice.

When the door of the TARDIS opened and Jack and Gwen walked out, Ianto smiled a welcome. ""Welcome home. How did it go?"

Jack tossed the control collar up into the air and deftly caught it again. "No problem." He said with a grin.

"Speak for yourself." Said Martha as she stepped out of the TARDIS, closely followed by The Doctor.

Owen glared at The Doctor. "Made it back then!" It wasn't a question.

"Disappointed?" Asked The Doctor as he walked towards Torchwood's Medic.

"Yes!" Spat Owen, his eyes never leaving The Doctor.

"Good." Said The Doctor as he swept past Owen and out of the Conference Room.

Down on the main floor of the Hub, The Doctor made his way over to the controls of the rift machine and began making adjustments. Every now and again, he would look up and study parts of the machine before returning to the controls.

Jack, after replacing the control collar, stayed by to lend a hand when needed. The others just hung back and watched from the sidelines with the exception of Ianto who made everyone some coffee.

After no more than an hour, The Doctor stood back and looked up at the rift machine. "That should be it." He said as his eyes scanned over the large machine. "I've configured the whole machine as closely as I can. It won't be smooth, but it will work without ripping a great big hole in the fabric of reality right in the middle of Cardiff Bay."

Jack looked from the machine to The Doctor. "Is it safe?"

"Have I ever lied to you Jack?" Asked The Doctor.

"No." Replied Jack.

The Doctor moved back to the controls and began inputting co-ordinates and Jack grinned as he looked up at the machine again. "And that's why you're not gonna answer."

After a moment, The Doctor turned to Jack. "It will work, the way it's supposed to. It will open a rift to the destination I set and it won't let anything else come through from anywhere else. It might…," The Doctor paused and then shrugged his shoulders, "… will shake and bang a little, but there's nothing I can do about that. It's the hybrid design that causes that and there's nothing I can do about that. All I ask is that you trust me and let me do what I have to do to save Rose." He looked into Jack's eyes. "Will you?"

Jack returned The Doctor's gaze. "On both counts. But I'm coming with."

"Me too!" Said Gwen. When both men looked at her, she continued. "I've come this far, I might as well see it through to the end."

The Doctor nodded and smiled at Gwen before turning back to Jack. Jack was also smiling at Gwen, then he turned his head further around. "Ianto!"

By the far wall, Ianto threw the lever that fed power into the rift machine. There was a sharp 'crack' and a shower of sparks erupted from one section of the machine, then a loud, high pitched whining could be heard which began rising in pitch as the rift machine began winding up. By now, the Hub began to shake, but no where near as violently as it had previously when the rift machine had been activated and Jack looked appreciatively at The Doctor. "Good job."

"Let's go!" Said The Doctor, almost having to shout over the noise of the rift machine. "I don't want to leave it running for too long, just in case." He headed back to the Conference Room, closely followed by Martha, Jack and Gwen.

As he climbed the stairs, Jack looked back at his team. "Keep the home fires burning till we get back."

End Of Part 8.


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9.

In the TARDIS, The Doctor set the co-ordinates and looked up at the viewer. "That's it, the rift is open and we can go through." He threw a lever and the TARDIS' reaction was even more violent than before. "The TARDIS was never meant to cross The Void to another dimension, that's why it's so rough!" He shouted.

"Oh, so this is rough is it?" Shouted Gwen as she hung on to a roof support for dear life.

Suddenly everything stopped, all the cacophony and the violent motion just ceased and the four travellers looked at each other in surprise.

Martha, standing besides The Doctor, looked up at the viewer. "Is that it? Are we there?"

"Yep." Replied The Doctor. He ran down the gangway to the door and opened it. He stepped out and looked up at the sky as a large, grey Zeppelin glided gracefully overhead.

"Holy…!" Said Jack from behind The Doctor. He looked around, at the multitude of Zeppelins in the sky. "Kinda reminds me of the first time I met Rose."

Gwen, who was also watching the Zeppelins, said, "Oh yeah? When was that?"

"1944. She was hanging on to a rogue Barrage Balloon during a raid on London."

The Doctor looked at Jack. "Huh, yeah. I remember that. Not an experience I'd like to repeat. Zombie kids?" He shuddered.

Martha frowned. "Zombie kids?"

"Yeah." Replied Jack. "Way creepy."

The Doctor turned and looked behind the TARDIS at a large country house. "That's their house. Oh, they've done some refurbishing since I was last here." The others all looked at him. "What? It wasn't me, it was the Cybermen."

As they got close to the door, it suddenly opened and a vision of malevolent fury and blonde hair appeared from the shadows beyond. "You! What did you do?"

"Hello Jackie." Replied The Doctor. "And why is everything suddenly all my fault?" He stopped just in front of Rose's Mother and gazed at her.

Jackie Tyler returned The Doctor's gaze. "Is it really you?" She asked softly. "I know it is, I just need to hear it 'cos then I'll know she'll be alright if it's really you."

The Doctor smiled. "It's really me."

"You'd better come in then." Said Jackie as she turned and led them into the house. "And who's all these people? They won't protect you from me if this turns out to be all your fault you know."

Jack held the door open to allow Martha and Gwen through. "I believe her." He said as he followed them inside.

A familiar face was waiting inside the hallway. "Hello Mickey." Said The Doctor, genuinely happy to see him.

"Doctor." Replied Mickey with a grin. He leaned forward towards Jackie. "Told you he'd come."

Then a not-so-familiar face came in from an adjoining room, though one that was just as recognisable. "Doctor?"

"Hello Pete." Replied The Doctor as he shook the man's hand. "Right, introductions." He held out a hand to indicate each person in turn. "Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Martha Jones, this is Pete and Jackie Tyler, Rose's Parents, and Mickey Smith, Rose's Boyfriend." They each nodded to each other in turn.

Pete turned to The Doctor. "How did you get here, cross The Void?"

"Our Torchwood has a rift machine."

"So does ours, we can't get it to work."

Jackie frowned. "Wait, Torchwood helped you?"

The Doctor smiled. "Jack here is the leader of Torchwood now, at least the one in Cardiff anyway."

"You have one in Cardiff?" Asked Pete.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, where's yours?"

"Manchester." Replied Pete.

"Really, it must be a better place than ours."

The Doctor coughed. "When you two have finished. Jackie, where's Rose?"

"This way." She said as she led them all up the stairs.

When The Doctor entered Rose's room, he paused for a moment. She looked just the way he had seen her in his last vision. He walked over to her and knelt down beside her. "Rose?" He said softly.

Rose's eyelids fluttered briefly and when she spoke, it was barely more than a whisper. "Doctor?"

"Yes, Rose. I'm here." He said, the light of hope flashing in his eyes. "Rose, I…?" But Rose had lapsed into unconsciousness again so he turned to Jackie. "What happened?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"We don't know, she just collapsed one day at work. Since then she's steadily got worse."

Mickey stepped forward. "She sometimes calls your name, asks you for help. It's weird, it's as though she was talking to you. She holds out her hand and everything."

The Doctor stood up and turned to face the group behind him, a look of deep confusion on his face. "She was talking to me, that's how I knew she needed me. But that's impossible. There's no psychic link between us and, even if there were, it wouldn't be able to breach The Void."

Jack moved to the front of the group. "May I?" He asked Jackie, who nodded. He knelt down beside Rose's bed and took out a small device from his pocket. He looked up at the assembled people around him. "It's a medical scanner, alien of course. It fell through the rift about five years ago."

"Will it be able to tell you what's wrong with her?" Asked a hopeful Jackie.

"Probably, if I understood medical stuff. I usually give it to Owen…!"

"I understand medical stuff!" Said Martha, glad to be able to actually do something and eager to help. "I'm a Doctor. Well, a trainee one, but I understand medical stuff."

"Ok then." Said Jack. He turned to Rose. "Hey Rose, remember me?" He activated the scanner and swept it over Rose. When it beeped, he held it out to Martha and everyone crowded round her to see what it said.

Martha frowned. "Ok, well, if I'm reading this right, it says that Rose is transforming on a cellular level. It's as though she's been poisoned with some form of radiation."

The Doctor looked down at Rose, his confusion growing ever deeper. "What? But where would she come into contact with radiation?" As he gazed at her, Rose seemed to sigh and The Doctor noticed a very tiny amount of golden light in her exhaled breath and realised that he'd seen it before.

An inkling of a suspicion became full blown realisation with the force of a sledgehammer. He knelt down beside Rose and took her hand, his face a mask of pain. "Oh Rose. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."

"What?" Jackie almost shouted. "What is it? It's your fault, isn't it?"

The Doctor couldn't take his eyes off Rose and he moved a strand of her hair away from her face as he spoke. "Sort of, yeah. Jack? Remember on the Gamestation when we faced off with the Daleks and their Emperor?"

"How could I forget?" Replied Jack. "That's when Rose brought me back from the dead."

The Doctor told everyone what had happened as his mind played out the scene on board the space station. His previous Regeneration had sent Rose back to her own time in order to keep her safe from the invading Daleks, but she'd returned to him, and she'd changed. He watched again as she left the TARDIS, her eyes glowing with the power of the Time Vortex.

"What have you done?" He asked in his strong Northern accent.

"I needed to get back here, so I looked into the Heart of the TARDIS." Replied Rose, crying from the pain.

"Rose, you took the power of the Time Vortex inside you and it's killing you. No Human was ever meant to wield that much power."

"It hurts." Cried Rose.

"Come here, I think you need a Doctor." The Doctor leaned forward and kissed her, taking the power of the Vortex from her and into himself.

The vision faded and The Doctor turned and looked at the people around him. "The power of the Time Vortex forced me to regenerate. I always wondered why…?" He suddenly stopped talking as a new realisation dawned on him. He put his hands up to the sides of his head. "Oh, how stupid!" He stalked away from the bed and began pacing backwards and forwards in the room. "Taking the power of the Vortex into me forced me to regenerate! I always wondered why it seemed to have no effect on Rose. She can't regenerate and always seemed to have no after effects, even though it should've killed her. Why?" He didn't wait for anyone to answer. "The TARDIS! The Time Vortex is the Heart of the TARDIS. So, when she took the Vortex into her, she became inextricably linked to the TARDIS. She was never communicating with me through any link between us, she was communicating through the link we both have with the TARDIS. I've been wrong all this time. The Vortex did affect her, but the TARDIS was sustaining her. When I sent her through The Void and closed the rift in London, I broke the physical connection she had with the TARDIS and it was no longer able to sustain her."

Mickey looked down at Rose and then back to The Doctor. "Well, take her back to the TARDIS then. It will make her better again, won't it?"

The Doctor gave Mickey a sorrowful look and then slowly shook his head. "The TARDIS is here, we brought it with us. If it could help her, it would have by now. I'm sorry."

Martha put her hand lightly on The Doctor's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "We have to try." She said softly.

The Doctor held her gaze for a few seconds and then smiled. "Giving up without a fight again?"

"Consider yourself kicked in the pants."

Jack suddenly stepped forward, threw the bed sheets off Rose and swept her up in his arms. "You once saved my life, let's see if I can't return the favour." He said as he headed through the door.

The Doctor looked on in amazement. "What, just like that you throw the sheets off her? How did you know she was even dressed?" He said as he followed them through the door, closely followed by everyone else.

They all filed quickly through the house, out onto the lawn and down to the TARDIS. Once inside, Jack lay Rose gently down on the floor in front of the console, stood back and waited. It seemed as though the world was holding it's breath, waiting to see what would happen. As the seconds ticked away and nothing happened, hope began to fade.

Then Gwen suddenly had an idea. "Wait a minute, you said she'd been 'exposed' to the Heart of the TARDIS. Where is this Heart?"

"In the console." Replied The Doctor.

"Then expose it."

The Doctor gave Gwen a beaming smile as he stepped up to the console. He flipped the release catch and, when the console didn't open, gave it an almighty thump with his fist and stood back as the console panel lifted.

Golden light suddenly beamed from the green Time Vortex and Rose's body arched as she was bathed in the bright yellow light.

Jackie almost ran forward. "What's happening?"

The Doctor held his hand up to Jackie. "No! Stay where you are."

Rose half stood, half levitated up and stood before the heart of the TARDIS. It seemed that, in only the few seconds she had been exposed to the Heart, she had been fully rejuvenated. As The Doctor and all the others looked on, they saw the dark, sunken rings around her eyes disappear. They saw her face fill out with renewed life and vitality. But more than anything else, they saw her smile and it was the most joyful thing that any of them, even Martha and Gwen, had ever seen. None of them even noticed that Rose was now floating before the console.

When she turned to look down at The Doctor, her eyes were again full of the raw power of the Vortex, but this time was different. This time the golden glow was serene and mellow, the glow of life sustained. When Rose spoke, her voice had a feint after-echo. "Doctor, my Doctor. I knew you would come."

"Nothing would keep me away." Replied The Doctor, his voice reflecting the joy on his face.

Jackie, who had been holding onto Pete, let him go and took a few steps forward. "Rose, what's happening?" She said, her voice thick with worry and concern.

"It's alright Mum, everything is alright now. I'm back where I belong, in the TARDIS. The Doctor knew and he saved me, as we knew he would. But I have to stay here now, I have to leave."

Jackie put her hand over her mouth to stifle her anguish and The Doctor felt such pity and sorrow for her. "Rose, what do you see?" He asked in a soft voice.

Rose lifted her face and gazed at nothing, but there was such a look of wonder and contentment on her face that any anguish Jackie felt disappeared in an instant.

"I see everything." Said Rose as the golden light from the Vortex swirled and danced around her. "I can see the Universe in its entirety and it is beautiful, so beautiful. I see stars shining in colours that we have no name for. I can see the furthest star in the Universe shining light out into the darkness beyond. I can see life flourishing in Galaxies too far away for us to know it even exists." She paused for a second and looked down at The Doctor before turning to gaze at each of them in turn as she continued. "And I can see into the hearts of men. I can see their capacity for honour, for strength and courage. For love. And it is wondrous." She lifted her head again as she slowly began to fade from sight. "So beautiful."

Rose blurred until all that was left was a shimmering golden outline. Then that to began to break up as she and the golden light fell back into the Heart of the TARDIS and the control room dimmed as the console slowly closed, extinguishing the last of the light.

As his eyes adjusted to the reduced light, The Doctor looked at Jackie. Jackie held his gaze for a few moments before nodding her head slowly. Wordlessly, she turned and left the TARDIS, closely followed by Pete.

The Doctor turned to Mickey. "Come with us if you like, Rose is here and I know she'd like to have you around."

Mickey shook his head. "I've only just got used to this world, don't fancy leaving it again. Rose understands, my place is here now. Besides, England actually win things at football over here, and Torchwood let me use really big guns."

The Doctor gave a chuckle. "Look after Jackie for me, won't you." He said in a soft voice.

"I will." Said Mickey. He waved at the rest of the group and then left.

After that, there was nothing else for them to do except go home. The Doctor set the co-ordinates for Cardiff in their own dimension and dropped Jack and Gwen off outside the Hub. He shook Jack's hand. "As always."

"A pleasure." Replied Jack with a grin

The Doctor turned to Gwen. "I know what you think…?"

"The Charter is wrong." Said Gwen as she also shook The Doctor's hand.

The Doctor smiled. "Look after yourself."

With Martha waving her goodbyes, they went back into the TARDIS and Jack and Gwen watched as the strange blue box disappeared.

Later that day, Martha entered the control room to find The Doctor standing by the console. "I'm just off for a shower." She frowned and then pointed into the air. "You don't think.. Rose can actually see us, do you?"

The Doctor laughed. "I'm sure she'll be discreet." His face suddenly became serious and he drew his finger along the edge of the console as looked down at it. "And yes, I would."

Martha looked confused. "Sorry?"

The Doctor looked at her. "If it was you, instead of Rose. I still would've come. Nothing would've stopped me."

Martha gazed at The Doctor for a moment or two and then smiled. "I know." She said before turning and leaving The Doctor in the control room, alone.

End Of Part 9.

Epilogue

Two Years Later.

Jack sat in his office in the Hub, slowly working his way through a pile of paperwork. He looked up and saw Gwen come walking through the door. "Hey."

"Hi." Replied Gwen.

"How's Rhys doing?"

"He'll be alright, just a few bruised ribs."

"Sorry you talked me into hiring your boyfriend yet?" Asked Jack with a grin.

"Nah, I actually think he enjoys it. He's usually ready before…!"

The sound of an alarm echoing through the Hub cut Gwen off before she could finish her sentence.

"Now what?" Said Jack irritably as he stood up and hurried around his desk. Out on the landing, he leaned on the safety rail and looked down at Tosh behind her workstation. "Tosh, talk to me."

Tosh looked up at her screen. "Long range sensors have picked up two ships heading this way. They don't match any known configurations in the database."

Jack and Gwen made their way down the stairs. "Do we have a visual?" Asked Jack.

"Putting it up now." Replied Tosh.

What they saw made both Jack and Gwen stop in surprise.

"Is that…?" Said Gwen.

"Yeah," replied Jack, "it's the Vos. They've found us."

"Who?" Asked Tosh. Before either Jack or Gwen could answer, Tosh started hitting keys on her computer. "Receiving a transmission, I'm putting it on speakers."

"We are the Vos!" Said a familiar voice.

"Chana?" Said Jack.

"Captain Harkness, it is a pleasure to hear your voice once again." Said Chana.

"Likewise." Replied Jack. "Forgive me for asking, but what are you doing here?"

"We have come to see the home of The Honoured Ones." Said Chana. "You need have no fear, Captain Harkness, we will uphold our agreement. Earth is a protected planet. But know that we are here, and we are watching."

The transmission suddenly ended and, up on the screen, the two ships began to veer away before disappearing."

Tosh looked at the screen in confusion. "What just happened, where did they go?"

Jack frowned. "They're using Hyperspace technology." He turned and looked at Gwen. "I feel like I just made friends with the schoolyard bully."

Gwen didn't have to speak to agree with him.

The End.


End file.
